|
Feb. 5, 2014
International Datacasting Corporation announced that
the Canadian Forces Radio & Television (CFRT)
broadcast service will be discontinued at the start
of April. The CFRT service has been delivered to
deployed Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members in
Afghanistan and other missions since 1999. This
service has been delivered by IDC working in close
partnership with the Canadian Forces Morale and
Welfare Services (CFMWS).
This decision reflects the reduction in the number
of CAF members deployed, changing demands for morale
and welfare services, and advances in technology
that enable alternative means of content delivery
for the smaller number of deployed personnel.
IDC hopes to continue working with CFMWS in the
future to provide services relevant to the current
reduced deployment, and to support resumption of
full services in the future if circumstances require
it. However, IDC anticipates that revenues from CFRT
will be substantially lower in Fiscal 2015 than in
Fiscal 2014. In the first three quarters of Fiscal
2014, the CFRT broadcast services represented
approximately 17% of IDC's revenues for that period.
Peter Atkinson, Brigadier General (Retired) and
Senior Vice-President of Personnel Support Programs,
a division of CFMWS, stated, "This decision is in no
way a reflection of the outstanding services
provided by IDC to the CAF. Since 1999, IDC has
provided a little piece of Canada to the CAF members
by providing Canadian content programming such as
Hockey Night in Canada, the Grey Cup and a variety
of entertainment and sports shows. CFMWS will
continue to look at other avenues to provide
amenities to the Canadian Armed Forces members who
continue to serve our country abroad."
Doug Lowther, President and CEO of IDC, commented,
"IDC has been proud to support the Canadian Forces
in providing Canadian radio and television content
to deployed CAF personnel over the last fifteen
years. We are working closely with the forces to
define means of content delivery that are
cost-effective given current deployment levels,
while remaining prepared to provide the full CFRT
service in the future should circumstances change."
|
